What is GIFT...
GIFT is an acronym for Growing In Faith Together. GIFT is a program of religious education specifically designed to meet the spiritual needs of persons with developmental disabilities. GIFT invites volunteers to prepare a special place where they can welcome persons with developmental disabilities. Through the experience in one-to-one relationships, our friends with special needs discover a place where they belong and can enjoy meaningful relationships which help them realize their own giftedness and dignity. Through participation in our GIFT community of faith, our friends are better able to celebrate sacraments and enter into worshipping experiences of the whole Church.
Ministry goals...
The purpose of this ministry is to allow our friends with developmental disabilities to become a part of our parish family community. To bring meaningful and appropriate learning experiences to our special friends. Through prayer, activities, stories, Scripture readings, songs and a simple meal, our catechists help our special friends learn and understand about our faith. The sessions are conducted in a friendly, loving, nurturing environment. We together as a group develop bonds and friendships as we grow in our faith.
Statement from "Pastoral Statement of U.S. Bishops on Persons with Disabilities", November 1978; revised 1989
"It is essential that all forms of liturgy be completely accessible to persons with disabilities, since these forms are the essence of the spiritual tie that binds the Christian community together. To exclude members of the parish from these celebrations of the fire of the Church, even by passive omission, is to deny the reality of the community. Accessibility involves far more than physical alterations to parish buildings. Realistic provisions must be made for persons with disabilities to participate fully in the Eucharist and other liturgical celebrations such as the sacraments of reconciliation, confirmation, and anoiting of the sick"
"The parish is the door to participation for persons with disabilities, and it is the responsibility of the pastor and lay leaders to make sure that this door is always open ... The task, on occasion, may not be an easy one; involving some persons with disabilities in parish lire may challenge the ingenuity and commitment of the entire congregation. Yet in order to be loyal to its calling, to be truly pastoral, the parish must make sure that it does not exclude any Catholic who wishes to take part in its activities."
"The parish is the door to participation for persons with disabilities, and it is the responsibility of the pastor and lay leaders to make sure that this door is always open ... The task, on occasion, may not be an easy one; involving some persons with disabilities in parish lire may challenge the ingenuity and commitment of the entire congregation. Yet in order to be loyal to its calling, to be truly pastoral, the parish must make sure that it does not exclude any Catholic who wishes to take part in its activities."